Emma Soyer nee Jones: Child Prodigy Artist
March is Women’s History Month, so it felt apt to share the story of Emma Soyer, nee Jones. Her husband, Alexis Soyer, was the most famous chef in early Victorian Britain. He is an interesting figure himself and I would recommend researching him yourself if you are interested. However, this post will focus on his wife, Emma, a proficient artist who was a child prodigy. Sadly, her artistic talents have largely been forgotten because of her untimely death and that of Alexis, who was the biggest advocator of her work, even after Emma’s death. Most of what we know of Emma’s life comes from the Alexis’ autobiography, making it a little hard to join together. However, I will try my best to do a summary with this post.
Emma was born as Elizabeth Emma Jones in 1813, although it could have been as early as 1809, to a wealthy middle-class family. Her father died when she was five, but even at such a young age, she had already shown talent. She would go on to speak French and Italian proficiently, as well as being a talented pianist. However, it is her work as an artist that would be her best legacy. Emma was tutored by her stepfather, the Belgian artist, Francois Simonau. By the age of 12, she had drawn over a hundred portraits and at age 10 was one of the youngest people to have ever exhibited at the Royal Academy. In total, she would exhibit fourteen times for the Royal Academy and twice for the Paris Salon.
Emma was also a known wit with a keen sense of humour and good banter. There is one surviving piece of writing of Emma’s that showcases her witty personality. The writing is a satire entitled Fashionable Precepts for Ladies. It was based on the popular etiquette manuals that were widely read by ladies wanting to progress (or more likely survive) in fashionable society.
It is through her stepfather’s studio that Emma met her future husband, Alexis Soyer. He and his family had escaped to England during the 1830 French Revolution. Both Alexis and his brother were chefs in notable households, with both of them working in the Duke of Cambridge’s household at the same time. Alexis had a desire to marry but had little luck falling in love with the English women he had so far encountered. He instead decided he would send a portrait of himself back to an old flame in France, with the hopes of a future marriage. He was advised to go to the studio of Francois Simonau for this portrait. Upon attending the studio, Simonau’s stepdaughter was also there, drawing his portrait at the same time. It was an immediate attraction on both sides. It also helped that Emma could speak to him in fluent French.
Alexis sent Emma a box full of tulips in their early courtship. In response, he received a curt response saying the flowers weren’t asked for and that she shouldn’t send anymore. He received a box in return, expecting it to contain the returned and wilted flowers. Instead, Emma had painted the tulips and gifted him the painting. This painting was treasured by Alexis for the rest of his life.
Their two year courtship was filled with Simonau’s concerns that as a household chef, Alexis didn’t have much job security or a good enough salary. However, in 1837, Alexis received a fabulous job offer. He was made head chef of the recently established Reform Club in London. This club had a membership full of the rich, famous and powerful. Within three months of its establishment, membership was already at over 1,000. The position of head chef for the club gave Alexis a salary of £1,000 a year, which was an enormous sum! The kitchens were also incredibly innovative and had very modern equipment, such as cold water refrigeration. Alexis was so key to building the kitchens that he was the designer, alongside the club’s architect, Charles Barry (famous for the Houses of Parliament). This position finally won over Emma’s stepfather and they also married in 1837.
It was after Emma’s marriage that she switched from drawing to oil painting as her medium. Unlike other husbands, Alexis never expected her to finish her career upon their marriage and encouraged her to continue to pursuing her talents. She continued to paint alongside her stepfather, who travelled around England with her on her painting trips. Emma could also be found at the Reform Club painting whilst waiting for Alexis to finish at work.
It was in 1842 when everything changed. Emma was heavily pregnant and Alexis had been visited by the Duke of Saxe-Coburg, Prince Albert’s father, at the club. The Duke was so impressed with Alexis that he extended an offer for the chef to accompany him on a trip to visit his brother, the King of Belgium. With his wife pregnant, Alexis was worried and wanted to pull out. Emma persuaded him to go, saying her health had been well so far. Sadly, whilst in Belgium, Emma went into premature labour during a storm, just months after exhibiting two paintings at the Paris Salon.
No one dared to tell Alexis about Emma’s death by letter, so it was up to a friend to travel to Belgium and tell him in person. Once he was told, he was inconsolable and tried to commit suicide. Upon returning to his empty London home, he fell into a deep depression. Once recovered from his grief, he continued to promote Emma’s work. In 1848, he exhibited a large collection of her work, including the tulip painting, to help raise money for a soup kitchen (an idea that Soyer himself had invented) in Spitalfields.
Alexis died in 1858, possibly from complications of illnesses he contracted whilst feeding soldiers fighting in the Crimean War. He was buried alongside his beloved Emma in Kensal Green Cemetery in Kensington. The monument to them, although it is mostly for Emma, is 6 metres tall and has a statue of faith on the top. It is inscribed ‘To Her’ and has a relief of Emma with her brushes and palette. A true dedication to her talent and the love her husband would always have for her.
With Alexis’ death, there was no one dedicated to promoting the life and legacy of Emma Soyer. That is why she isn’t as well known as she should be. Her talent is obvious if you look at her paintings. She had a fantastic affinity for painting children in a sympathetic way. In 2018, the BBC programme Fake or Fortune featured a painting of two black girls reading and managed to prove it was a painting by Emma, painted to help promote the anti-slavery cause. Charity and painting went hand in hand for Emma in life, and also for the posthumous exhibition organised by her husband. I hope this post has made you interested in the work of Emma Soyer and I would highly recommend looking up some of her paintings to see for yourself what an innate talent she had.
Gabriella Ramsden, ’ The Life and Legacy of Emma Soyer (1809-1842)’, Women’s History Network, https://womenshistorynetwork.org/the-life-and-legacy-of-emma-soyer-1809-1842-gabriella-ramsden/
‘Alexis and Emma Soyer’, St John’s Wood Memories, https://www.stjohnswoodmemories.org.uk/content/arts/art-artists/alexis-and-emma-soyer
Ibid
Ruth Cowen, Relish: The Extraordinary Life of Alexis Soyer (Orion, 2010)
‘Alexis and Emma Soyer’, St John’s Wood Memories
Ruth Cowen, Relish: The Extraordinary Life of Alexis Soyer
Ibid
Alexis and Emma Soyer’, St John’s Wood Memories
Helen Soutar Morris, Portrait of a Chef: The Life of Alexis Soyer, Sometime Chef to the Reform Club (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2013 edition), p. 21
Ibid, pp. 21-22
Alexis and Emma Soyer’, St John’s Wood Memories; Ruth Cowen, Relish: The Extraordinary Life of Alexis Soyer
Gabriella Ramsden, ’ The Life and Legacy of Emma Soyer (1809-1842)’
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